“Is a heart attack painful?”
I am a 50 year old male. I want to know if a heart attack is painful?
5 Answers
Mark Rasak
Cardiologist
Usually it is. There are patients who don't have symptoms such as older women with diabetes. Other times, patients may have heart burn and sweats along with nausea and self diagnose their problem as a stomach problem. The "pain" isn't the same a typical pain (like hitting your thumb with a hammer) more of a vice like pressure across the precordium or left side of the chest. The "pain" can radiate to the left arm, both arms, or neck. Some patients may also feel the pain in their back between their shoulder blades.
Not necessarily. Heart attack can be “painless” particularly if you tolerate pain very well and you may not “feel” it. Heart attack in my experience almost always occurs in association with shortness of breath, weakness, and sweating.
Yes. Sometimes one can have silent heart attacks, particularly if you are a diabetic.
Usually but not always. The pain is typically in the centre of the chest or across the front of it but can also be felt in the left arm, up to the jaw. Heart attacks affecting the underside of the heart may be felt as severe indigestion with nausea. Around 20% of heart attacks are "silent", i.e. not painful, and may cause just severe fatigue for a few days,
Most heart attacks are painful with a pressure type pain feeling like a great heaviness on the chest. However, the pain can vary depending on how severe the muscle damage. Heart attacks can also be silent without pain such as in diabetic patients. Most heart attacks are typically pressure type.
